All’Antico Vinaio

I waited an hour in line, after biking 11 miles, for a sandwich at All’Antico Vinaio. Yes, it was worth it.

During a morning bike ride with Rosemary, we made plans to head to Venice Beach and find a delicious place to eat lunch. Once we arrived at Marina del Rey, I immediately got the idea that we should stop at All’Antico Vinaio, an Italian sandwich shop that I knew Austin, one of the participants in my Foundations of Acting, class worked at. He’d mentioned it during our introductions and I’d immediately searched it on my phone. It looked GOOD.

So, turning on Washington and biking up Abbot Kinney Blvd, it was refreshing to take a pause at our 11th mile and chill for a bit. Arriving at All’Antico Vinaio, we locked our bikes up and surveyed the scene.

 

Yes, there was a line. But, it didn’t seem that long. As we stood in it, the line felt manageable. I noted the time we got in the line. Before I knew it, 45 minutes had passed. When we got up to the register to order, it had been an hour.

Now, one might ask, is a sandwich from All’Antico Vinaio worth standing in line for an hour?

Well, I was determined to find out.

Getting up to the register, I was super happy to see Austin and exchanged pleasantries.

 

I ordered the LA SCHIACCIATA DEL BOSS (Prosciutto Toscano, Pecorino Toscano, Truffle Cream), grabbed my A’ SICILIANA BLOOD ORANGE SODA, and headed outside to find a table for Rosemary and I.

Now, the first thing I noticed about the sandwich is that, for $20, you get a sandwich that is the size of your face.

It was huge – and definitely not a casual footlong from the local Subway sandwich shop. Which, is completely fine. But, this was another level.

I unwrapped my sandwich, took a deep breath and took a bite.

From the bread I watched being baked as I was standing in line, waiting to order – to the heavy hand of prosciutto layered with cheese and sauce – it was damn delicious. It honestly reminded me of my time in Italy. Simply, high quality ingredients that led to delicious decadence in your mouth.

As we sat on the patio, we rested from our 10 miles while gaining the strength for what turned out to be a 22 mile round trip ride. I understood the freedom that being on the saddle, riding to various places in coastal Los Angeles vs driving.

With driving, you have to worry about finding parking, parking tickets insular feeling of being in your vehicle. On your bike, you feel connected with the environment and the space you fill in the moment.

It’s like flying.

As we finished up at All’Antico Vinaio, I realized I had half a sandwich left. Now, the great thing about bike jerseys from Ostroy is that they have roomy back pockets for storage.

So, did I actually wrap the rest of my sandwich up, fit it to the back of my bib, put my Vuroi hoodie on over that and ride it back to my car?

Yes.

It was absolutely worth it.

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